[February 01, 2014](Reuters) — President Barack Obama
plans to travel to Saudi Arabia in March on a mission to smooth tensions
with Washington's main Arab ally over U.S. policy on Iran's nuclear
program and the civil war in Syria, a newspaper reported.

Obama is preparing to meet with King Abdullah for a summit, the
Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed Arab
officials briefed on the meetings.

"This is about a deteriorating relationship" and declining trust,
said a senior Arab official in discussing the need for the summit,
which was pulled together in recent days, the newspaper reported.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have been allies since the
kingdom was formed in 1932, giving Riyadh a powerful military
protector and Washington secure oil supplies.

Washington's relationship with the Saudis was crucial as the region
faced changes and challenges from the transition in Egypt to civil
war in Syria.

But relations have been tested on a number of fronts.

Members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family threatened a rift with the
United States to protest perceived American inaction over Syria's
civil war, which has killed more than 100,000 people, as well as the
recent U.S. outreach with Iran.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom's regional rivalry with Shi'ite Iran, an
ally of Syria, has amplified sectarian tensions across the Middle
East.

King Abdullah is also to use the meeting to question Obama on why he
decided against airstrikes in Syria, which Saudi and other Arab
officials believe strengthened Assad, the newspaper reported.